Meditation on Micah Chapter 7 - "Who is a God like Thee?"

Oh my soul, have you paused lately to consider this question of your great God and Savior?  And have you then given much thought to its answer?  I am not talking about the quick answer of “There is none like God.”  I want to know if you have followed down the path to where this question leads: to meditate on the greatness of God – Who He is and what He has done!  To examine and “proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light!”  What comfort and peace comes from meditating on His greatness!  Oh that you would stay on this path as Enoch of old did, for the Scripture says “he walked with God, and was not, for God took him.”  Enoch was not perfect for sure, but he is distinguished as one who “walked with God” and one who did not die as the others.  Or consider the constant meditation on scripture of Robert Murray M’Cheyne.  Do you, my soul, walk with the Lord in this manner? I think not as you should.  Do you desire to walk with the Lord in this manner?  I pray so.

Let us begin our path where the prophet Micah does in verse 18 of the last chapter  – the forgiveness of God.  “Who is a God like Thee, Who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?”  God poses the first part of this question in other areas of holy scripture – and you, dear soul, would be greatly rewarded in meditating on those.  But in this case, the prophet narrows our focus to God’s great forgiveness - His lovingkindness.  That God Almighty would forgive sins at all – what a glorious thought!  Or, my soul, have you forgotten that He is holy – that He is just!  Do you take for granted His forgiveness, as if it is something He owes to you?  Something that you deserve from Him?  Repent and turn from that way of thinking!  As one born in sin, you deserve nothing but God’s wrath.  Do you not feel the weight of his confession in the beginning of verse 8 “I will bear the indignation of the LORD because I have sinned against Him…”? It would do you well to remember your former condition and state, oh my soul, before you were transferred to His kingdom – not for the purpose of wallowing in self-pity, but to see afresh His great forgiveness; to stand in awe of His lovingkindness and long-suffering!  Praise be to Him who is compassionate and long-suffering.  This is His character – and it is not a new or a recent change in Him – it is Who He is.  “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed” as He proclaims in Malachi.  Even the prophet Jonah knew this about God.

You may ask “How do you know that He is long-suffering?”  Look to the scriptures which lead you to look to His Son.  His lovingkindness has been made known throughout the scriptures – His confronting Adam in the garden and providing a sacrifice for a covering, in His curses in the garden, in Eve bearing Seth after Cain killed Abel, in His providence of the patriarchs, His deliverance of His people out of bondage in Egypt, and His giving of the Law and the prophets – to name a few.  All of these (plus many, many more) are types and shadows of the ultimate demonstration of His lovingkindness and forgiveness – His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ!  Oh, to be sure, God does not ignore sin or turn His back on sin or leave sin unpunished.  No – God’s justice demands His judgment against sin (ultimately death), and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.  Remember the weight of the confession in verse 8, but do not remain there.  Continue on the path – “until He pleads my case and executes justice for me.  He will bring me out to the light, and I will see His righteousness.”  Jesus, the sinless, perfect Son of God, laid down His life as a substitute, and He bore the sins of many. God the Father made Him who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  Marvel at this my soul!  The Apostle Paul proclaims this in Romans Chapter 3 for all those who believe, 

            “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.  This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Notice that His forgiveness is specific and is directed to the “remnant of His possession”.  The remnant – a smaller remaining portion.  What was special about this remnant?  Did they somehow merit this forgiveness? Definitely not!  It is not really the remnant that should be your focus - the focus should be on the God who forgives, and Who is faithful to His word, and Who delights in unchanging love.  The glory is not the remnant, but in the One who preserves the remnant, by His nature, His word and His works.  Yes, this did apply to Israel of old, to the remnant who survived God’s judgment on Israel and Judah – but praise God that is not the ultimate fulfillment.  The Holy Spirit was ultimately pointing to those who are justified by faith in Jesus, and this also applies to all those who are His.  To those who are born again, those who have been sealed with His Holy Spirit unto the day of Christ Jesus.
  

Oh soul, is this God who forgives your God?  Is He your delight?  Will you like Thomas confess – “My LORD and my God!”  Read His word and meditate on Him, Whose lovingkindness is from everlasting to everlasting.  And then, when this has taken root, be like your heavenly Father and forgive others as God has forgiven you.